In the prior art, visual images from n units of cameras are switched on a picture by picture basis (in other words, a field by field basis or a frame by frame basis, because a picture is composed of a field or a frame) and recorded on magnetic tape or the like as a recording medium by a magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus over a long time.
If any event or accident happens, the magnetic tape is played back to analyze the event or accident. For this analysis, “picture-by-picture reproduction” is carried out to reproduce important scenes.
However, the conventional magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus feeds the recording medium by only one picture when a picture feed button is operated once. Accordingly, if visual images from one particular fixed camera is to be reproduced on a picture by picture basis, the picture feed button must be depressed n times in order to update an arbitrary visual image from the fixed camera because a visual image desired to be reproduced (analyzed) is recorded every n-th picture on the magnetic tape.
The present invention solves this problem. It is an object of the present invention to provide a magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus which enables a recording medium to be automatically fed by n pictures through one picture feed operation and which is internally provided with visual image storage means for enabling an arbitrary camera visual image to be reproduced even during a picture feed shift.